Beginning to After the End
by MatchaFrappe
Summary: Marie has finally become Champion of Kalos, but she hasn't figured out the mysterious man named AZ. Based on female player in Pokemon X/Y, not Serena. Slightly AU and OOC. Rating subject to change. AZ x OC
1. May We Meet Again

**Disclaimer: Pokémon belongs to Nintendo, GAME FREAK Inc., and Creatures Inc.. OC and AZ's behavior belong to this authoress.**

_**ATTN: This series has Pokémon X/Y ending spoilers. Do not read if you do not want to know the ending to Pokémon X/Y.**_

* * *

He was tall. Unusually tall. He towered high above the crowd as Professor Sycamore gave his gratitude on behalf of the people of Kalos and the Honor of Kalos to Marie and her friends. It was hard for her not to notice him when she previously walked up the red carpet, wondering how other people were not staring at his large stature. Marie had seen him several times before, when he passed by as she traveled around the region and when he was held captive by Lysandre during the 'Ultimate Weapon' debacle. However, Marie was not ignorant about his relation to local tales of the great war. She knew after hearing the story about the great war 3,000 years ago and seeing the giant of a man that he was the person from all those millennia ago. That and that he kept on mumbling about his lost Floette and the great war. Now, here she stood on the stage, finished receiving honors after defeating Team Flare, the Elite Four, and Diantha the former Champion, and there the tall man was walking towards her. He wanted a battle from Marie. He wanted to know what he was missing out in all those years of desperation and grief.

"Battle with me. I want to know what a 'Trainer' is," he stated.

Marie stepped off the stage and walked towards his nine-foot hobo-like appearance.

"I accept, if only for that we can truly be friends after this," she said with a small smile.

Marie liked the big man and always thought that he felt lonely. Ever since her first conversation with him at Lysandre Labs, she had always wanted him to have at least one friend. The aftermath of the 'Ultimate Weapon' left a giant crater in Geosenge Town of which the tall man had climbed out of and then started talking in a one-sided conversation of the usual topic of his lost pokémon before wandering away. She looked at him now with his disheveled and tattered clothes, long messy white hair, and dilated brown eyes. Marie gave a signal that she was ready for the battle.

The pokémon battle begun. His facial expression never changed during the battle. Even when his Torkoal and Sigilyph fainted, he never flinched. Yet, as Marie almost finished defeating him with her Yveltal to his Golurk, he began to have a shadow of a smile on his face. Yveltal then used Foul Play on Golurk. It was an instant finishing move. The Golurk fainted and the tall man smiled. He felt uplifted from the battle and within defeat had let go of his troubles from the three long millennia.

"Now I finally feel free...free from the part of me mired in sorrow—the part of me that built the ultimate weapon," he confided.

This statuesque man named AZ, who was also king of Kalos 3,000 years ago, looked up to the sky. Because he released his long-term pain and deep-reaching sorrow, there appeared a spark in the sky at which formed an unusually colored Floette. Its body was white with a blue tail, blue eyebrows, and red rings around the ear-like appendages on its head. It also clung to an unusual flower that had red-black petals and a black stem. This was the pokémon that he had revived all those years ago, his Floette, which floated down into his large hands. AZ released tears of joy, finally holding Floette again in his palms. Centuries after centuries he had wandered the earth, searching for his beloved Floette, now realizing that he had only to let go of his dark feelings to find Floette again.

"Floette...it's been 3,000 years," he cried.

It was a long-awaited moment between the immortal trainer and his equally everlasting pokémon. In short, it was a perfect reunion.

"His pokémon was waiting all this time...waiting for him to return to the man he was. The man who loved pokémon with all his heart," Sycamore added behind Marie.

Marie watched the tearful reunion, her heart filled with warmth that AZ finally reunited with his Floette after so many years. Yet she could not help but feel that this was the last time she would ever meet AZ again. It was awhile till AZ stood up with his Floette. As Marie continued watching, he murmured a few words to his tiny pokémon. It seemed like a good time to go over and talk to him as AZ and Floette had finished up their reunion. Just as Marie started to pace over and talk to AZ, he suddenly disappeared. There was no flash nor sound, as if, in the blink of an eye, he never existed.

Although Marie, Professor Sycamore, and her friends were enclosed by the crowd, the crowd only took note of the mysterious tall man's disappearance. Surprisingly, the crowd was indifferent to such an event, as if this were a normal speculation. The crowds' hearts did feel warm and wholesome during the reunion but now they did not bat a single eye to the sudden disappearance.

"Well, that's all for now! Let's go Marie! I wanna flaunt my fame around town!" Shauna exclaimed, as she jumped over and did her signature twirl.

However, Marie did not want to go anywhere with Shauna, feeling that she should sit down at Lysandre's Café. She needed a place to think and since Team Flare was gone, the café had been a quiet place to sip tea and read a book every now and then.

"I'll have to refuse, Shauna," Marie replied.

"Aw, but wouldn't ya go for me? Your bestest fwiend?"

"I'm sorry, but I have a lot to think about."

"Aw, alright," Shauna sadly agreed, "so I'll take Calem instead!~" she then perkily said.

Shauna ran off, dragging a resistant Calem around town while Tierno took Trevor to watch one of the region's most famous pokémon dance teams that were performing that day. Marie was about to walk to Lysandre Café when Professor Sycamore called out to her.

"Marie! I'll be at the lab if you need me, okay?" he shouted as he walked away.

Marie walked to Lysandre Café and chose a spot in the corner, watching the main door and the hidden door. Because almost everyone in the city was out celebrating in the post-parade festivities, it was only her and the newly appointed employee in the café.

"Not going out with the rest of the city?" the guy at the counter asked from across the room.

"No, I really wanted to, but a friend of mine had to leave," Marie answered monotonously.

"Well, I wish, but I still have work! Would've been nice to take my girlfriend out, ya know?"

"Yeah, that would have been nice."

Marie was not one for conversation and went back to sipping her tea. Thankfully, the guy stopped bothering her and tried to find things to do to keep him busy. As she was sitting there, she thought about the encounters that she had with AZ, how he always had a frown and dark haunted eyes of despair. Ever since she saw his brown eyes, Marie wished that she could remove that ever present sad look on his face. She then thought about all the challenges that she had been through to get this far. It was a tedious but enjoyable journey, collecting all eight badges, defeating the Elite Four, and then finally claiming the new Champion title from Diantha. She learned a lot from all the battles, especially that it did no benefit to hold a grudge or despair over losses or constantly worry about her pokémon. However, her mind still thought about AZ.

He was now free and Floette had returned to him but she wondered if she would ever see him again in this lifetime.

The waiter opened the café doors, allowing the cool breeze to pass by. Marie felt the hot air lift and the wind turn the pages of her still blank journal on the table. Outside, a red-black petal floated into the café and landed on Marie's journal. She picked up the oddly colored petal and hopefully thought, '_Perhaps this isn't the last of AZ that I'll see.'_

* * *

**Author's Note: **This is my first fan fiction to this website. I have always adored AZ since I first saw him because I thought, _'Hmm...he looks like a mysterious character that I would like to crack.' _Plus, there aren't many fictions about him, which I hope will change in the future. Also, his face was to-die-for at the end of Pokémon X/Y. I fell in love with him. -squirms in chair-

P.S. I also like older men. So that's probably one of the reasons, too. However, he's extremely old. I theorize since he was king at that time, that the 'Ultimate Weapon' froze him at around the age of 30 and enlarged his height.

Fun Fact: The 'Ultimate Weapon' is also called the 'Reaper of Ambrotos.'

P.S.S. I also appreciate criticisms and whatnot. Flames are acceptable because they tend to happen with any author/authoress. Every time I mention flames on forums, I always get pictures of fireplaces. I love people's humor about that. Now, I leave you guys with an imaginary picture of blob fish.


	2. The Champion and the Gentle Giant

**Disclaimer: Pokémon belongs to Nintendo, GAME FREAK Inc., and Creatures Inc.. OC and characters' behaviors belong to this authoress.**

_**ATTN: This series has Pokémon X/Y spoilers. Do not read if you do not want to know the plot parts to Pokémon X/Y.**_

* * *

_**From where we last left off...**_

_Marie was not one for conversation and went back to sipping her tea. Thankfully, the guy stopped bothering her and tried to find things to do to keep him busy. As she was sitting there, she thought about the encounters that she had with AZ, how he always had a frown and dark haunted eyes of despair. Ever since she saw his brown eyes, Marie wished that she could remove that ever present sad look on his face. She then thought about all the challenges that she had been through to get this far. It was a tedious but enjoyable journey, collecting all eight badges, defeating the Elite Four, and then finally claiming the new Champion title from Diantha. She learned a lot from all the battles, especially that it did no benefit to hold a grudge or despair over losses or constantly worry about her pokémon. However, her mind still thought about AZ._

_He was now free and Floette had returned to him but she wondered if she would ever see him again in this lifetime._

_The waiter opened the café doors, allowing the cool breeze to pass by. Marie felt the hot air lift and the wind turn the pages of her still blank journal on the table. Outside, a red-black petal floated into the café and landed on Marie's journal. She picked up the oddly colored petal and hopefully thought, _'Perhaps this isn't the last of AZ that I'll see.'

* * *

_Marie dreamed, her mind consumed with thoughts, mainly wondering about an unlikely meeting with AZ..._

_**'A long time ago. A very long time ago. The man made an ultimate weapon. Using it required the life force of many pokémon...the pokémon granted eternal life learned this. The resurrected pokémon left the man's side. The man was surprised and sad. He had revived it so they could be together. Day after day passed, but they were never to meet. Eventually, he became a mere shell of a man. A man condemned to wander forever by the light of the weapon...and a pokémon that also wanders eternally...'**_

Marie shot up from bed. It had been about two weeks since the gargantuan man vanished, leaving her to dream almost every night, but forgetting the dreams soon after. However, she had a vague sense that these dreams were related to AZ. She tried figuring out why her mind always came back to him when she had only seen and talked to him briefly. 'I mean, really...how could my mind drift to that man constantly nowadays?' she worriedly thought.

Marie was never one to dwell too long on one person but she still could not get AZ out of her mind. Of course, she kept on hoping every day now that she could be his friend, but him not being present hindered that. Also, it was not like she wanted to be more than his friend...or did she? Marie banished those particular thoughts. 'Stop it, Marie! I shouldn't be thinking that! Besides, he just recovered from his internal battle and plus I am not even his friend. He's also 3,000 years old!' she sadly thought. Marie had conflicting emotions and, instead of prodding out more, decided to fall asleep again.

_**'Team Flare Secret HQ in Geosenge Town**_

_**The admins had easily fallen because of Blastoise's and Delphox's combined combos. It was for the same reason why it was not difficult for her to also catch Yveltal. Capturing Yveltal had drained the weapon of power, so it could not obliterate all living pokémon. However, Lysandre had activated the 'Ultimate Weapon' with what was left of its power. The blast was going to redirect itself back to the location of the murderous machine, which was where Marie and her friends were currently located.**_

"_**Marie! Shauna! Let's get out of here!" Calem screamed.**_

_**Calem and Shauna had raced ahead of her to avoid the oncoming blast. Marie followed right after them. Suddenly, Marie tripped and sprained her ankle on one of the steps up the stairs. She knew her friends had made it out and that the blast would be coming in a few seconds. She accepted her fate of death and was grateful that she was able to come this far in her eighteen years with her friends. Even though she was not that close with her friends, she still enjoyed the time that she spent with them traveling around the region and challenging each other. Soon, the blast arrived. Everything went white-red, then came a brief flash of searing pain, then darkness. It felt like a long time floating in that darkness. Soon, out of that darkness appeared a blue spirit. The spirit was a bit far from her but she was able to hear what it had to say as if it was right next to her.**_

_**'Do you want to live?' its mysterious voice implored.**_

_**'Why would I want to live?' Marie questioned back, 'I am happy with my decision and have lived life despite my short time on Earth.'**_

_**'You have no regrets?' the blue-hued spirit asked.**_

_**AZ. His name instantly came to her mind as soon as the spirit asked. His name stood for 'beginning and end' like the alphabet. Marie believed it was her only regret, being that she never got to spend time with him, feeling that she needed to enrich his life when his was gloomy and agonized, feeling that she needed to help him carry his burden.**_

_**'I see,' the creature replied.**_

_**It seemed he had read her thoughts. 'The choice is now. Do you want to live or not?' he asked.**_

_**'I want to live,' she finally answered.**_

_**The creature then revealed itself as Xerneas, the legendary fairy pokémon. Marie felt the power that it emanated into the space.**_

_**'You have chosen, but I warn you that there is a consequence giving a person another chance at life.'**_

_**'And what may that consequence be?'**_

_**'It is not for me to tell you, as Arceus has plans for you, our new chosen.'**_

_**Flashes of blue and white surrounded Marie and enveloped her. The lights overwhelmed Marie who then passed out. She soon reappeared in front of the giant crater in Geosenge Town. Eventually, she woke up in time to witness AZ crawl out of the large hole and spout tales of long ago. He then walked away in his usual slumped and lazy walk. Marie could not help but notice that she wanted to share his burden.**_

* * *

'Chirrrp!' the fletchling poked Marie on her forehead once again. For the second time that morning, she shot up in bed but this time with a small red welt on her head.

'Mom, if fletchling keeps on doing this every morning, then I'm making roasted bird one day!' she shouted from her upstairs room to her mother, who was in the kitchen downstairs.

'Honey, fletchling loves you and wants you to start the day early!' her mother called back.

Apparently, even Marie becoming the new Champion would not give her the privilege to sleep in or avoid fletchling's tough beak in the morning.

'_Perk up lazy-head, it's a brand new day,' _she told herself.

Marie got out of bed to get ready for the day. She currently was still staying at her mother's house in Vaniville Town because the coordinators in Lumiose City were not finished with her new set of apartments. Since she was already 18, she was allowed to live by herself. Obtaining the title of Champion came with very nice benefits; for example, swanky new apartments. That's right: apartments, not apartment, because Marie was also determined to find AZ and have him live right next to her. She believed it was a nice act of her soon-to-be friendship with him. However, she did not know what color and design his apartment should be styled. _'Soon that will be fixed because we will be friends and we will tell each other our interests,'_ she thought.

Marie arranged her things before taking a quick shower. Marie was never the super girly type that loved pink and frilly cute things. In fact, she hated pink with a passion and refused to wear anything that her mother had bought before that had even the slightest pink. The interior designer for her apartment-in-progress suggested pink to counter balance the red and white but they soon came to an impasse and threw out pink altogether. Marie could be charming if she tried and very convincing.

Marie's wardrobe was semi-casual, with a couple jeans, millions of red, white, or black shirts and blouses, and different styles of casual and professional skirts, dresses, and accessories in the same shades. Of course, there were other colors but she would not be caught dead with anything pink in her closet. She still held a hate-filled passion for the color. It made people wonder why Shauna was her friend, since the bubbly female loved cute frilly things and all shades of pink and black. Shauna and her were polar opposites.

Marie was passionate. Shauna was cutesy. Marie loved gaming. Shauna loved social media. Shauna was the all-around adorable girl that everyone usually loved. Marie was the brainiac and kept to herself. She was nothing like Shauna and she sometimes wished she could be as outgoing. Even though her Champion status gave her fame, she still was not as popular as her bubbly friend. However, she was not jealous of Shauna. She would rather be herself than deal with the tedious task of keeping an energetic image all the time. Marie and Shauna were friends because Shauna was persistent and Marie could not hold up her barriers for long to keep her out. If there were some things that they shared, it was that her and Shauna were both stubborn and loyal.

Marie looked in the mirror. Sometimes she could not help but feel insecure next to Shauna, especially during that time when they met up with a guy that she used to like when they were barely teens. Yet, he eventually chose Shauna. Perhaps if Marie had told him how she felt, would things have changed? Most likely not; the guy seemed infatuated with Shauna.

Marie did not know why she was thinking of comparable beauty and unrequited love.

She banished her thoughts away and instead pondered over her outfit of the day. Marie did not know her own worth in beauty. She was short but curvy, with lightly tanned skin and long, straight black hair. She had brown eyes that turned dark when she contemplated and seemed almost burnt gold when she became extremely happy. Her face was still a bit rounded but it made her look softer. She was the kind of classic beauty that Greek sculptors would have furnished on their statues. Alas, she was dense to her own wondrous design.

After her humdrum of inner tirade, she finally chose a red-black dress that was tight around her curves but liberally easy to move around with. She added some black leather tights and dark red boots to match. Marie then took her travel pack and went downstairs to eat the breakfast her mom had made for her.

'Mom, what does it mean when you think too much about one person almost every hour of every day?' Marie queried.

'Is this person...a guy?' her mother asked.

Marie hesitated, '...Yes'

'Perhaps, you like like him?'

'But how can I like like him? I barely even met him and other people avoid him as much as possible unless they want something from him!'

_'Besides, love could not possibly come that fast.' _Marie gloomily thought.

'Maybe you see something that other people don't. Maybe it's actually love at first sight. But whatever the reason, always have the best judgment to make the right decision and live and love life to the fullest.'

'Alright, thank you, mom. I love you, and I will call you when I get to Lumiose City.'

Marie finished eating and hugged her mom before leaving on her journey to look for AZ. She went alone because Shauna was hunting down Calem, Calem was desperately hiding from Shauna, and Trevor was taking Tierno to see a new pokémon species that he had found.

Marie took out her Yveltal named Redeemer and positioned herself on his back. They flew around the Kalos region looking for signs of AZ.

* * *

AZ was happily sleeping with the snorlax in Pokémon Village. Occasionally, the ice gym leader Wulfric would pass by but he would only be at the entrance entertaining the pokémon that came out of the flowers to see him. Wulfric never looked past the flowers, which meant that he never saw AZ snoozing away on the soft and warm cushion of snorlax's belly. So AZ never had to hide himself amongst the flowers when he came by. Floette was playing around in the flowers, making new friends with the beedrills and noctowls. It was a lazy day for them both.

AZ was still the messy hobo-like person that he had been for millennia but he was now free of troubles and was back to his gentle giant personality. He was not a broken man but instead a recovering inner king. The pokémon respected him very much and he did not need poké balls to recruit pokémon when he needed them to battle for him. Plus, when people did see him, they usually ran away, intimidated by his height and frightening hobo-like appearance. However, there was one person who was not afraid of him.

Marie. The sweet young lady had wanted to be his friend. However, he was afraid of contact with the outside world as his outgoing personality that he used to have as king faded into the lone drifter who was the weakest of social butterflies. He thought about Marie at least once a day. The red flowers around him reminded him of Marie. She was like a beautiful red carnation but also much like her Yveltal, loyal and fierce when needed. She was the only person who was not afraid of him upon meeting him for the first time. Unlike other people, her eyes were not full of greed, fear, or disgust. She was compassionate even though she had never been in the same situation as him. However, she was very good in understanding what it was like in other people's shoes. Yet, she was as stubborn as a mule when she became passionate about something, especially when she was wrong.

AZ was kind of afraid to meet her, not because he was scared of her but because he did not want to embarrass himself. He was not very good at conversation, even if he knew many languages, ancient and modern, or had experience from his travels all over the world. However, he knew that if he cleaned up a little he could have women at his feet. Yet, he did not care for one-night stands or meaningless dates.

He had been on this earth for a long time, and if he had learned some things, one of them was that meaningful love is found in the right person. Not that he was talking about Marie, of course, because she just wanted to be his friend. He was not hoping for something more, but a small voice was niggling in the back of his head. He tried to ignore it.

AZ watched the red carnations and yellow sunflowers sway in the breeze. He caught a glimpse of a familiar red-black tail of a certain legendary pokémon in the sky and drifted back to sleep on the warm snorlax's belly. Floette saw Redeemer the Yveltal in the sky with that pretty black-haired girl on his back and then looked at AZ who was beatifically snoring away the rest of the day. Floette hoped that AZ would get off his butt and start making friends, especially with that pretty black-haired girl who battled with him. Floette wished she had the voice or telepathy to tell her trainer but she could only make expressions and gestures. Luckily, she learned how to write, but it was so sloppy that barely anyone could read it. Floette sighed.

* * *

It was almost sunset. Marie had searched a third of Kalos from the sky, but she could not find a single sign of AZ. Suddenly, her holo caster rang.

'Redeemer, stop...let's just stay afloat,' she told her Yveltal.

'Okay,' he telepathically agreed.

Marie opened up the holo caster and Dexio's and Sina's profiles appeared.

'Marie, your apartment is done. We left a generic blue-white design for the other one but it can easily be changed when you ask,' Dexio announced.

'Your apartment is so adorbs! I helped design it, too!' Sina exclaimed.

'Sina, you were supposed to help me manage the supply reports remember?' accused Dexio.

'Well, don't get in a tussle. I finished them quickly and had plenty of time for interior designing,' she pouted back to Dexio.

'Wow, only a week passes and you guys already have the apartments ready?' Marie happily asked, 'You guys are impressive. How did you find time between taking over the newly renamed Holo Caster Inc. and managing apartment making?'

'It was nooo problem!' Sina exclaimed, 'Dexio does all the work and I kick back and design!'

'Sina...I really should give you more work,' Dexio exasperatingly said.

'Noooo! Then I will not be able to play with my fairy pokémon!' she whined.

'Sina, we have to finish this work. Alright, Marie, we have to go. Managing a communication company at a young age isn't easy. Bye! Also, the key to your apartment is your pokédex and the key to the other one will be on the kitchen island in your apartment,' Dexio supplied.

'Okay. Bye!' Marie ended, closing the Holo Caster shut.

'Alright, Redeemer, let's get to Lumiose City. Mom said that my clothes and items have already arrived and been sorted into their appropriate spots. So we'll look for AZ tomorrow, okay?' Marie stated.

'Marie, I want to see this Wulfric and his pokémon village that you keep on telling me about. It sounds interesting that pokémon have their own little village,' Redeemer pleaded.

'Okay, we'll stop by the village first thing in the morning then,' she replied.

* * *

**Authoress's Note:** I wanted to give Marie and AZ more personality in this chapter. In my opinion, I did not do as well on both. I do plan to someday incorporate AZ's former kingly aura and have Marie grow some more in her experiences. I can't particularly relate to other authors who have their 'muse' but I think of AZ as friend who's telling me his story and how he met Marie and also Marie as my half-sister. We argue a lot. AZ and I party in my room a lot. No, Marie, not the kind of party you're thinking of. Now she's stewing in the corner because we never invited her. Ahaha... -sweat drop-

Anyway, I hoped you guys enjoyed the new chapter! There does not seem to be a set time to when I post these, so expect at least twice a week.

P.S. Criticisms, lovely comments, and flaming fireplaces appreciated and laughed about. Please don't kill me...or maybe you'd liked to be killed instead? -takes out scythe-


	3. The First Time We Met

**Disclaimer: Pokémon belongs to Nintendo, GAME FREAK Inc., and Creatures Inc.. Quote belongs to Johnny Cash. OC and characters' behaviors belong to this authoress.**

_**ATTN: This series has Pokémon X/Y spoilers. Do not read if you do not want to know the plot parts to Pokémon X/Y.**_

* * *

**Where we last left off...**

_'Alright, Redeemer, let's get to Lumiose City. Mom said that my clothes and items have already arrived and been sorted into their proper spots. So we'll look for AZ tomorrow, okay?' Marie stated._

_'Marie, I want to see this Wulfric and his Pokémon Village that you keep on telling me about. It sounds interesting that Pokémon have their own little village,' Redeemer pleaded._

_'Okay, we'll stop by the village first thing in the morning then,' she replied._

* * *

It was a short flight to Lumiose City. Marie was surprised to find that the coordinators kept a 'few' details about the apartments. She did not just own a couple of rooms but in fact a whole renovated office building that stood over the lovely maze gardens in Parterre Way. The building was ten stories tall. Each story and each door was larger than a standard-sized story or door to accommodate for AZ's height. They joined three of the top four floors into one, which were then divided into two and connected by two hallways with a middle intersection for the elevators. Each wing had a master bedroom that was three stories tall, which had a low-to-the-floor king bed, the ultimate entertainment system, a state-of-the-art bathroom with large walk-in closet, and a resting area for a few Pokémon. AZ's room differed in that it had an extra long king bed. Marie's room was also a bit different, in that instead of a resting area, it had a gigantic red-black cushion for her twenty-foot tall Yveltal. Redeemer was happy with his cushion, taking to it so much that he dragged it right up next to Marie's bed and jubilantly patted his tail on it.

'Marie, the bed they have provided fits me! Let us dwell here for a long while,' Redeemer exclaimed.

'Yes, we'll be here for a while,' Marie replied back.

There was one floor for a kitchen, dining, and gaming area, a two-floor tall section that was the gym and play area for trainers and their Pokémon, another two-floor tall section for battling needs, and the bottom floor for the lobby and security clearance to the upper levels. Marie had a special elevator and hidden stairwell, while the public would take the normal elevator which only went up to the battling arena on the second floor. The building even had large retractable openings on the roof and one side of the gym and battling arena so Redeemer could fly in. Marie also hired a military base architect and a security systems company to work with the interior designer so that the apartments could be protected from any threats. In truth, the architect, security company, and interior designer were actually working on a whole building. The security measures were kept secret from the Kalos government and the public eye. Besides, Marie's prowess and passion in battle kept the architect, security systems company, designer, and construction crew silent. That, and that they also held high respect for her.

In addition, there was a long shaft connected to the special elevator that went six stories down beneath the building to a small command center and hangar, whose opening was hidden under a large river. The topmost floor was for receiving dignitaries and important people who came in by aircraft.

It shocked Marie when the coordinator gave her all the specs for her new living quarters. She had only prepared for a couple of rooms which made up the apartments. However, she had a whole transformed office building with all the bells and whistles and a secret command center. She questioned why Champions needed all this stuff. Apparently, being Champion had major perks and much secrecy. Being Champion meant that she represented the Kalos region as a whole, much like the President but instead of handling national and international affairs, remained as a figurehead, the symbolic meaning of goodwill towards Pokémon and strength, courage, and success through hardship.

The weight of the Champion's legacy grew heavier on Marie's back as she realized this. Redeemer saw Marie slump a bit.

'What's wrong?' he worriedly asked.

'Oh, I just realized that being the Champion is not as easy-breezy that I thought it would be,' she revealed.

Redeemer chuckled, 'When you have lived for a long time, you learn that things must not be taken lightly.'

'I get that.'

Marie threw one of her large pillows at him.

'What did I do to deserve that pillow? Do you want another Phantom Force coming at you?'

'No, Redeemer, that's scary! I'll never know when you'll appear!' she laughingly exclaimed.

'Fine, then I'll fan you across the room.'

'What!? Redeemer wait, I-'

A large breeze from his flapping wings made a tornado inside the cavernous bedroom. Marie was swept up to the ceiling. The mini tornado suddenly stopped. Marie was falling, flailing her arms.

'Yaaaaah!' she screamed.

Redeemer caught her on top of his head and laughed again.

'Have you also learned not to throw a pillow at me?'

'No, I'll throw more! That was fun! But I don't want to fly again. I thought I was going to break a bone falling from that high!'

'Marie, you're asking for trouble.'

'I know Redeemer, but would you rather have me pliant and quiet instead?'

'No, I wouldn't have my trainer any other way.'

Redeemer and Marie were like brother and sister, always depending on each other ever since she broke through his walls a couple of days after capturing him. He was very stubborn and demanding in the beginning but became soft only for his trainer. He was a giant teddy bear, gifted especially to Marie, the compassionate lady. Redeemer would be sad when she would die in a few decades but he would never forget the time that he spent with Marie.

'Alright, Redeemer, the rest of the night is a free night! Which means, I'm going to catch up on my reading!' she boisterously announced.

'Alright, I will improve my ability to levitate objects.' Redeemer said, as he laid on his cushion and stared at possible things to move.

Besides being legendary, Redeemer was a special kind of Pokémon. He could learn five moves instead of the usual four, keeping a repertoire of Foul Play, Disable, Phantom Force, Psychic, and Sky Attack. His Psychic move enabled him to speak by communication through the mind and move objects around. His telepathy was very good, but his kinetic power? Not as well.

Marie took a book from her bookcase in the room and flopped onto the bed, pulling the covers under her arms and holding the book as she read. She found a book that had the translated version of the Epic of Gilgamesh. It was about a king that traveled far and wide, searching for immortality after his closest companion, Enkidu, dies. Marie was instantly reminded of AZ. Where was he now? What was he doing?

Thinking of AZ, Marie then took out her journal and flipped its pages. She stared at the pressed-in red-black petal on one of the pages. By then, Redeemer had fallen asleep, a bit exhausted from his kinetic ability practice. Redeemer was red-black, the same colors as the petal. She stared at her Yveltal and thought, _'We'll find AZ soon. We will.'_

Marie soon fell asleep with her journal in hand, the small notebook open to when she described meeting AZ for the first time.

* * *

_**May 7 – Sunny weather with a nice breeze. The plain was still hot, though.**_

_**Route 13**_

_**I was furiously biking across the dry plain to figure out why the power plant was not redirecting its power to Lumiose City. However, a tall man was suddenly in my way and was muttering to himself. He had long, dirty white hair and tattered clothes. I instantly stopped right in front of him. Looking up, the hot sun surrounded his head in a halo but his eyes were dull brown. They were eyes that showed deep loss and despair.**_

_**'Hello,' I said. I was usually wary of strangers but he did not seem like the type to do terrible things, what with his haunted look and morose attitude.**_

_**He stayed quiet.**_

_**'My name is Marie. What is yours?' I smiled.**_

_**I held out my hand for a handshake. He did not move a muscle. He still didn't put out his hand, which brought mine back up to rub my arm.**_

_**I did not tell him to move because I had the sudden feeling that I was in the right place at the right time. I still thought it odd that he didn't tell me his name.**_

_**'You're traveling across the dry plain, too?' I asked.**_

_**He gave a slow nod and quietly stood there, staring back at me.**_

_**You could feel the sun watching our awkward exchange and probably laughing to itself.**_

_**'Umm, so what are you doing around here?'**_

_**Meaningless banter. He still said nothing.**_

_**'Perhaps searching for something?' I asked again.**_

_**He finally spoke.**_

_**'The Pokémon...the flower Pokémon...the Pokémon that was given eternal life...'**_

_**He mumbled some more.**_

_**'Alright then...so which way are you heading?'**_

_**He turned in the same direction that I was going.**_

_**'Alright, so you want to travel together? We are going the same direction, at least.'**_

_**I walked ahead alongside my bike. He followed. The walk felt more awkward than the first conversation. I decided to try to break the ice.**_

_**'You know, it's kind of funny. I felt like our meeting was bound to happen but I don't know for what reason at all. Don't you think so?'**_

_**I turned back to look at him. He was gone. I never got his name.**_

* * *

AZ stared up at the night sky as Floette and Snorlax were sleeping right beside him. He could not sleep, afraid of reliving the difficult memories of long ago in his nightmares. Perhaps Darkrai was secretly following him around again. AZ thought he told that dark legendary to stop bothering him years ago, or by the name of Arceus he was going to call the actual Arceus on his white-haired head. However, he did not feel Darkrai's presence and so thought that it was actually his own psyche that was probably still troubled by his experiences. AZ thought that he had let go of them. _'You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don't try to forget the mistakes, but you don't dwell on it. You don't let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space,'_ Johnny cash had once said. AZ used to listen to his songs and sometimes found inspiration from them. Yet at that time, he was still a broken man and soon forgot what he had heard. AZ knew that it was important not to forget the past, but he also knew that the past should not bother him this much. The past had too much history, too many emotions. It was easy to forgive the past if he had a human companion, one that could speak to him and hug him...and had soft black hair that he could rub...

'_Stop,' _AZ thought,_'I am ancient. I may age slowly but I am immortal and the small hopes I have for eternal companionship besides Floette are impossible. I cannot find more companions because in the end I am the one who loses. This is the consequence of immortality: you observe your friends and family as they age and die but you yourself stay forever youthful and alive and there is nothing that can be done to change their fates.'_

He soon became exhausted from inner turmoil and drifted to sleep. For once, it was not a nightmare but a memory and he was glad for this small reprieve in his immortal life.

* * *

_**The heat was almost unbearable. The sun beat down on my towering frame. 1,100,067 days that I had wandered the Earth, and still no sign of my beloved Floette. Oh, Floette, how I have missed you by my side as my confidant and advisor, as my closest friend. Why have you left your noble companion when I have sacrificed everything for you?**_

_**I continued walking along the parched ground, watching the ground Pokémon race and play around. Suddenly, my ears picked up on the sound of treads on dirt. It was coming from several miles away. Ahead of me, there was a spark in the distance. The spark soon became a green bike, on which was perched a young lady. She furiously rode across the plain like she was being chased by a malevolent Darkrai. She did not seem to notice that I was in her way and abruptly stopped in front of me.**_

_**She looked up and finally took a look at my stature. Her expression didn't change as she examined me. I was now expecting her to run like all the others who met me.**_

_**'Hello,' she simply said. I remained silent. It was the first time in a long time that anyone had spoken to me besides the Pokémon I carried with me and those in the wild.**_

_**'My name is Marie. What's yours?' she asked.**_

_**Her hand was outstretched for a handshake. I stared at the hand, not wanting any contact to my person. She then retracted it and rubbed her arm in nervousness.**_

_**'You're traveling across the dry plain too?' she said, staring at my face.**_

_**I slowly nodded. On the inside, I was surprised that she was not afraid or disgusted by me, but instead kept a smiling face. Her happiness made her radiant. She was different from the others.**_

_**'Umm, so what are you doing around here?' she questioned.**_

_**I was wandering, forever in an endless quest for my dear Floette...**_

_**'Perhaps searching for something?' she implored.**_

_**'...the Pokémon...the flower Pokémon...the Pokémon that was granted eternal life...' I mumbled some more, as I was lost in my thoughts and memories.**_

_**'Alright then...so which way are you heading?'**_

_**I faced towards the sun as it rose in the sky. By this time, I lost track of what she talking about, only remembering the losses of long ago. I seemed to drift after a pair of shoes as I recognized the feeling that I started walking, but eventually I reverted back to reminiscing the same memories over and over again. I traveled on, no destination in sight.**_

* * *

**Authoress's Note: **Another chapter down! So, who is anticipating when AZ and Marie will meet again in person? I know I am. However, a major plot point that will change the dynamic again is on the horizon...

P.S. To the Guest-san who wrote my fourth review, I wish you had an account so I could PM you a proper response like I did with the other reviewers. If you were the Guest-san who wrote that review, please PM me with your new account so I can chat with you appropriately.


	4. What Could Have Been

**Disclaimer: Pokémon belongs to Nintendo, GAME FREAK Inc., and Creatures Inc.. OC and characters' behaviors belong to this authoress.**

_**ATTN: This series has Pokémon X/Y spoilers.**_

* * *

_**Where we last left off...**_

___I faced towards the sun as it rose in the sky. By this time, I lost track of what she talking about, only remembering the losses of long ago. I seemed to drift after a pair of shoes as I recognized the feeling that I started walking, but eventually I reverted back to reminiscing the same memories over and over again. I traveled on, no destination in sight._

* * *

It was bright and early the next day. Marie went up to the rooftop with Redeemer, ready to fly over the mountainous area of Kalos. Yesterday, they explored Kalos's central area but only managed to spot several regular colored Floettes floating above the tree line instead of a red-blue-white one that clung to a red-black flower.

_'Hopefully today will be different,' _Marie thought.

'Yes, which reminds me, you promised me a trip to the Pokémon Village,' Redeemer replied telepathically.

'Oh, you were able to hear my thoughts? They weren't even broadcasted. I guess my emotions are strongly showing. I'm just worried that I'll never meet AZ again,' Marie sadly confessed, 'I mean, I'm not the type to sit around and wait, hoping for a miracle to meet AZ. I'd rather go out there and look.'

'And we will find him, Marie. Do not lose faith. By Arceus's grace, you will get the chance to meet him again,' Redeemer reassured.

Marie walked a couple of feet away from Redeemer and turned to face him. Redeemer readied himself. Marie took a running start and leapt into the air. She flipped forward once, and landed perfectly seated on Redeemer's back.

'Your techniques for mounting my back are getting better every day,' Redeemer praised.

'Can't be plain when you're the Champion!' Marie cockily smiled.

'Don't get _too_ smug. People adapt every day to trump each other. You humans are fascinating for that,' Redeemer chuckled.

'Don't worry. I won't. Now let's go. I _did_ promise that you would meet Wulfric and see the Pokémon Village.'

Redeemer excitedly took off the roof, his great and mighty wings boosting them into the air and speedily off to Snowbelle City.

The snow suddenly buffeted them from all around as they got closer to Snowbelle City.

_'Odd. I don't remember a blizzard warning near Snowbelle City. Is Abomasnow acting up again?' _Marie worriedly thought.

The Blizzard was strong. Redeemer tried to head back, but he could not see anything. He then tried landing, but he could not find a clear spot. Marie and Redeemer got caught in the middle of a snowstorm. Redeemer finally decided to fly straight and hope for the best. However, they hit a patch of hail. Redeemer dodged larger pieces as best he could. Yet, his best was not enough. Everything started to go in slow motion.

A large piece of hail flew out of the air.

Redeemer tried to dodge.

It missed his head but instead hit Marie.

She blacked out.

Her hold on Redeemer slipped.

She fell off of his back.

'MARIE!' Redeemer screamed.

Redeemer turned around and dove for her.

He could not see her through the snow and hail.

Several seconds had passed.

Still no sign of the red outfit she wore today.

It was already too late to catch her in time.

She was lost.

From that high up, no one could have survived, even into ten feet of snow. Redeemer roared in anger but he did not unleash his life-stealing power if only to make up for the loss that he caused. The blizzard finally died down, but it was too late. If only the blizzard had died down then would he have been able to save her in time. If only he had dodged better. If only they hadn't gone out to visit the Pokémon Village.

All that was left was for him to find the body. He morosely flew to the sky above the snow-covered forest near Snowbelle City.

It was hours and hours of flying, searching for his trainer's red coat. Anything red, since that was her favorite color and she wore it everyday.

Finally, there was a red spot among the snow.

Redeemer quickly dove down. He landed on top of the snow and pulled the red tuft slowly out of the snow. It was Marie!

He cried in relief but soon found that her body was slightly mangled. Her legs bent the wrong way and she had internal bruising in her chest and abdomen. Her face was miraculously unmarred. Her arms were heavily bruised. She looked like she was dying. She was breathing heavily, eyes half-lidded and trying to talk.

'Don't speak, Marie,' Redeemer said, his mind-voice full of sorrow.

_'Alright, I won't, but please...take me to Wulfric,' _she thought back to him.

Her eyes then closed, her breathing more shallow.

Redeemer carefully picked her up and flew to Snowbelle City. There, he went over to the ice gym leader's door and roared.

Wulfric came out and gasped at the sight of Marie.

'Marie! No...what happened?' Wulfric asked.

'She got knocked off my back by hail and fell,' Redeemer answered tragically.

'How did she survive for this long after? She's dying...it's too late to save her...' Wulfric grimaced, starting to tear up.

Wulfric was one of Marie's closest friends. Marie liked that he would never change and that he was determined to do all that he could to help his friends.

_'Redeemer,' _she called out in her mind.

'Yes, Marie?'

'_I promised you that we would see Pokémon Village. The flowers are so pretty there...'can I see it for one last time?'_

'Yes, we will go, Marie. Wulfric, can we travel to Pokémon Village?'

'A-alright...if it is Marie's last wish,' he solemnly replied, trying to hold back his tears.

They went as quickly as they could, Marie in Wulfric's arms and Redeemer following close behind. They laid her down among the flowers, with the other Pokémon in the village surrounding her.

'Marie, open your eyes, we're here,' Redeemer sobbed, 'The flowers are beautiful. The carnations are red, just like you.'

She opened her eyes halfway and peeked around.

'_Yes, they are beautiful. I am happy I got to see this for the last time. I am happy that I accomplished so much, and I am happy that I had the chance to have a wonderful Pokémon like you, Redeemer.'_

'Don't speak like that.'

She attempted to raise her hand to caress his snout.

_'Hasn't it been a long road? Four years until I had you...and a few weeks battling with you by my side? Redeemer...please know...you've been the best of my Pokémon and I'll miss you.'_

_'_NO...MARIE...please...it's too short...you've only been by my side for too little,' he sobbed out more with his mind-voice.

Wulfric faced away, tears streaming down his face. He didn't say anything, allowing for Marie and Redeemer to talk to each other telepathically.

_'I'm not afraid anymore...not of death...I'm sure you will meet me again. I just wish...I could have seen AZ again...just once...but no matter.'_

Wulfric squeezed his eyes as the tears now came on strongly. He felt Marie getting closer to death.

Redeemer cried.

'Marie, if you can hold on a little longer I can get Xerneas! Please!'

_'Redeemer, I can go in peace. Wulfric will take care of you. He is one of my dearest friends... and please...live on...for...me...and...do the...right...thing...'_

Her eyes slowly closed. She stopped breathing. Redeemer paused. A sudden maelstrom of angst and sorrow hit him. He roared to the sky. The Pokémon surrounding them, sadly moved by the display, scurried away. Wulfric came up to look at Marie's smiling face in death.

'I know she told you some things, but I'll wait until we both have regained a better grip on our emotions,' Wulfric said. He walked away to visit the pub near the Ice Gym.

Hours more had left Redeemer stuck by Marie's side. He stood there numb, not noticing that there was something happening to Marie's body.

* * *

'How is she today? I bet Marie's been wearing her red clothing as usual,' AZ thought.

Floette was off somewhere again, mentioning that she had 'errands' to do. What errands? What does that flower Pokémon occupy herself with? He would ask later when he was less preoccupied with thoughts of Marie and how relaxing it was to rest under a canopy in the Pokémon Village.

It was almost evening and he heard a sudden commotion enter the Pokémon Village. Through the flowers, he saw the red-black Yveltal and Wulfric enter the village with Marie in Wulfric's arms. She was all banged up and looked like she was about to die. He watched as they laid her on a bed of flowers. AZ felt a pang of heartbreak at seeing her. He did not imagine that the first time he would see her again would be when she was close to death.

He could not move from his spot as he used one of his powers to listen to the secret conversation between her and Redeemer. Wulfric was faced away from the affair. For the third time in his adult life, tears began to run down his face. It was not a moment to cry tears of joy for, but instead a moment to weep in sorrow. He regretted that he never took the chance to get to know Marie. His pride was in the way; he didn't want to embarrass himself.

Soon, Marie stopped breathing. AZ heard Redeemer roar; it was the most gut-wrenching cry of despair. After a while, the ice gym leader then turned back to Redeemer and murmured something to him. He then walked away with his shoulders slumped.

AZ felt such a profound loss; it was like a puncture wound through the heart. He realized too late that he did not just like Marie, he was developing love for her despite that he did not know her well. It was a little more than what he felt towards Floette, which was a love that he would have for a sister. No, he loved Marie more than that. Yet, it was too late to tell her. Under the stars, under the leafy canopy, AZ laid there, eyes open, face unmoving, with tears rolling silently down his face and thinking of what could have been. Marie was gone.

_...Or so he thought._

* * *

**Authoress's Note:** Don't panic! She's not dead. She looks dead. She feels dead. She's dead in a sense, but she's not dead. Make your theories on what happens next. I believe I have left subtle hints in the stories for a number of possible ones. So yay...I'm excited that AZ finally realizes he loves her, even if it's a developing love. Don't worry, he's really not old enough to be her grandpa if you think about it. He is immortal and he ages REAL slow. The artwork in the Lumiose Museum revealed a younger version of him when he made the machine, around his early twenties I think. So, if he's been walking around for 3,000 years and he ages REAL slow, then I estimate his age to be in the late twenties to early thirties. For the sake of this story, I am going with late twenties.

P.S. I appreciate criticisms, lovely praise, and flaming fireplaces. Thank you to all the people who have read my story thus far and for the thoughtful reviews, follows, and favorites.


	5. There's Much More To Immortality

**Disclaimer: Pokémon belongs to Nintendo, GAME FREAK Inc., and Creatures Inc.. OC and characters' behaviors belong to this authoress.**

_**ATTN: This series has Pokémon X/Y spoilers.**_

* * *

_**From where we left off...**_

_AZ felt such a profound loss; it was like a puncture wound through the heart. He realized too late that he did not just like Marie, he was developing love for her despite not knowing her well. It was a little more than what he felt towards Floette, which was a love that he would have for a sister. No, he loved Marie more than that but it was too late to tell her. Under the stars, under the leafy canopy, AZ laid there, eyes open, face unmoving, with tears rolling silently down his face and thinking of what could have been. Marie was gone._

___...Or so he thought._

* * *

Marie was in a state of dormant recovery. She seemed lifeless, however her body was healing on its own, fixing broken bones and ruptured organs. Even the bruises were disappearing, from black to blue to light yellow and finally fading away. However, Redeemer was a couple of steps, faced away, and had cried himself to sleep. AZ was also still under the canopy, stiff with resentment while asleep. He was having fits with new nightmares. AZ dreamed of running after Marie in the darkness, only able to see her and nothing else. He kept on running and running, never to catch her. Marie then faded into the darkness and he sank to his knees, crying out, 'DON'T LEAVE!'

He woke up. AZ's eyes had snapped open. He looked over to where Marie's body lay and gasped. Her body was miraculously repaired, although looking still as death. He had seen the same thing before, back when he was under a different name, back when it was 3,000 years ago...

* * *

___AZ was discussing with his younger brother about how foolish it was to expand the country's borders by autocracy instead of diplomacy._

___'It's not going to work the way you wish it, brother. The people will not be controlled.' AZ implored._

___'But Alexandre, the land and all its riches! We can be greater than this! Better than this small country of partial ruin!' Christophe, his younger brother, exclaimed._

___'Christophe, all you will do is have the people hold malice towards you. Taking what you want is not the way to become a benevolent king.'_

___'Benevolent!? Nonsense! Under your so-called 'benevolent' rule, we are having a war! We are losing people, Alexandre, our own people! It seems that the only way to replenish our soldiers, our __own ____people is to find new territory.'_

___'Christophe, you are young; you do not know much of what it means to be king. I believe conquering new territory in the middle of a war is not in the best interest of our nation.'_

___'Best interest of the nation! Bah! Have it your way! I'll gather what I can and do it my way!'_

___He opened the doors of the War Room and angrily strode out to other parts of the castle, leaving a distraught Alexandre behind._

___Christophe was too stubborn and greedy. He could not understand the sacrifices it took to become the ruler of a nation. He could not understand the weight of keeping balance and prosperity to the country. It seemed that it would take nothing short of a miracle to turn his poor attitude around._

___Suddenly, the doors to the War Room reopened again, an anxious Lieutenant and small battalion walking into the room._

___'Your Highness! We have grave news,' the young Lieutenant morosely announced._

_'What is it now?' ____Alexandre worriedly thought._

___The small battalion presented a small gilded coffin, with a familiar colored bud on top. Alexandre then sank to his knees, overwhelmed with sudden heartbreak. _

___'No...NO...NO!' he cried out, trembling with hurt and anguish. His dear Floette could not have died so quickly. His mind raced with images and thoughts. If there was anything that he could do to bring back his most loved Floette, then he would it. Soon, that became Alexandre's obsession, despite the war breaking out at the time._

___To resurrect Floette, Alexandre built a machine. However, it would require several lives of Pokémon to be sacrificed in order to bring Floette back from the dead. The task was done, and Floette was revived. However, learning that her trainer had used the souls of Pokémon to revive her, Floette was pained and disappointed in Alexandre. She then left him._

___The machine had also unknowingly given Alexandre immortality, but it was all for naught since he could not spend time with his Floette anymore. He questioned why despite sacrificing all that he had, Floette would just up and leave him. He fell into a repeating pattern of blame and misery, eventually pushing him over the edge. He had suffered too much._

___In his state of emotional turmoil, Alexandre made a rash decision to reactivate the machine. However, it was not to give life, but destroy it. He could not bear to live a life without Floette and so used all of the machine's power to blast back to him. Yet, it also decimated the region, taking the lives of Pokémon and people._

___When the blast subsided, Alexandre was an unrecognizable burnt mess. His consciousness went black. Among the blackened earth, his body repaired itself in still death. Eventually he woke up alone on the barren battlefield, naked as the day he was born as his clothes were burnt off. He was weak trying to stand up and regain his regal form, but what was there to salvage? He had lost everything._

___That was how the rescue convoy found him, naked and trembling. They gave him clothes and food, wondering how he survived such devastation. Of course, he would never tell and the rescuers never questioned it, thinking he was still distraught from the experience. It was a long journey back to the castle since the battlefield was far away. They had passed by many dead and still flaming corpses, which reinforced Alexandre's newest decision: he would leave and have his brother rule over the rebuilding nation. Once they had reached the castle, the servants took Alexandre and bathed him while he was stiff and unmoving as ever. _

___After all the hubbub died down fussing over the discovered king, Christophe requested an audience with Alexandre in his bedroom. Christophe had come to realize his errors, explaining that he was young and untried, renouncing his ways of greed and vengeance. Alexandre accepted his apology._

___Alexandre's mind boiled with what he planned to do next and he prepared himself for the journey ahead now that the war was over due to the destruction that he himself caused._

___By next morning, a letter was left to Christophe detailing not to look for him and that Christophe was now the rightful ruler of the nation. Christophe was saddened by Alexandre leaving but soon came to accept the burdened decision and ruled in Alexandre's place._

___Alexandre had left to find Floette, desperate to find his dear friend and had changed his name to AZ. AZ, because he had been at the beginning of the war but had been the one to end the great war._

* * *

Now here he was, a changed man again, but this time he knew what was happening to Marie. Eventually, she would wake up and she would need to be cleaned up and given sustenance. He could not comprehend how Marie had gained immortality but he knew in his heart that she could be the one meant for him. He would not have to worry about her leaving him, since she could never die. Sure, she could physically escape him, but they would find each other again.

Redeemer had woken up to the rustling sound of AZ getting closer to Marie's body.

'Don't come any closer to her!' Redeemer's thoughts blasted toward AZ.

'Look, legendary, and witness that she is as immortal as you and I,' he replied.

'A miracle...who could have done this?' Redeemer quietly chuffed.

Redeemer then proceeded to examine her carefully and noticed a faint blue power glowing behind her eyelids. He knew instantly who was responsible.

'Xerneas had already shared to her eternal life, but when?' Redeemer said.

'Xerneas? Dear Arceus...how did she meet up with him?' AZ wondered.

'Yet I am glad that she is alive, but she soon will have to bear the pain of losing her friends and family,' Redeemer commented.

'It is thus the burden that us immortal hold to our never-ending lives,' AZ explained, 'At least we, also, will not woe over her death now. She can never die.'

AZ cleaned her up, looking away so as not to see her feminine parts and then prepared food and water for when she woke up.

Sometimes immortality was a cruel joke that fate threw at them, but they managed to find happiness and beauty in everyday eternal life. Now, with the addition of Marie, they would not always be completely alone. Redeemer could continue to have his cherished trainer and AZ could possibly pursue in courting Marie. Yet, they still had to wait for her to wake up.

Marie's eyes opened to wonderful sunlight shining through the fresh canopies of the trees.

'Is this heaven?' she murmured.

'We're not in heaven, but it feels like it to me,' AZ quietly replied.

Marie was cradled in his arms but suddenly panicked at the close contact. She jumped up out of his arms and blushed, looking away for a moment.

AZ secretly wanted to hold her a little longer. Instead, he offered her food and water. She then sat and ate and drank ravenously. It seemed regenerating took out a lot from one person.

Marie then looked at her body and touched herself at the places that used to be broken. She was preoccupied with how she possibly survived and apparently healed herself.

'But I'm still alive!? Redeemer!? A-and where have you been lately, AZ!?' she exclaimed.

'Well, after leaving the parade, I-' he started to say as Redeemer suddenly barreled through the grass.

He pranced over to Marie and started nuzzling her.

'I'm glad you're alive and that you're now like us,' Redeemer communicated.

'I'm glad I'm alive, too. Wait, what is this about 'like you'? What have I missed?' she asked.

'Well, appar-' AZ got interrupted again.

'Xerneas has shared eternal life with you, Marie,' Redeemer explained, 'but we do not know when he did so and for why.'

'Alright so I was granted eternal life by your brother, Xerneas, and we all do not know why. Sounds reasonable,' she stated, 'but I also want to know is, now that I am immortal, what do I do now?'

'Well, there is not much to immortality, just that you age slowly, you eventually watch your friends and family die, and you yourself never die, forever living on the Earth,' AZ explained.

'That was not the answer that I was really looking for,' Marie replied.

'Marie, you still have to represent Kalos as its Champion,' Redeemer supplied.

'I guess that will be a problem if I am hard to beat and that I can never die,' she said, 'so, there's not much to immortality? No, I think eternal life has just made things more complicated.'

During all this, no one asked about Wulfric, who was still drowning in his supposed sorrow at the local pub in Snowbelle City.

* * *

**Authoress's Note:** Marie is immortal. Now AZ does not have to worry about looking for partner fulfillment and Redeemer gets to keep his best friend and trainer. However, where is Floette? I also sense a new character in the horizon and major changes for AZ.

P.S. I appreciate all praise, criticisms, and flaming fireplaces. I am again grateful for all the views! I got excited when it hit the 300 views mark. It's not much but I was very happy. Please continue your support!


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